Screenshot or It Didn’t Happen!

Imagine that your life hinges on your ability to remember every single detail of one moment in time. You need to know the exact date, time, location, and conversations going on. No matter how good your memory is, that sounds physically impossible. At least it sounded impossible, before the invention of the screenshot. Now, without a screenshot it’s like nothing ever happened. 

Screenshots or screen capturing have become a distinct part of everyday life. Whether it is for personal or professional use (or simply to remember something you’d otherwise forget), everyone is responsible for a screenshot or two daily. But, what are the implications of website screenshots past capturing a funny picture your friend sent you? 

screenshot meme

‍‍When Do You Screenshot?

For most, a screenshot is used to share information. Showing your siblings a funny post, sharing the album cover of music you’ve been listening to, or letting your friends know about a weird conversation you just had via text, screenshots have basic, fun, and communicative implications! You may even be guilty of screenshotting a mean conversation or loving words from a new partner, just to keep them in the memory bank (and your image folder). But, they can also be used for comfort purposes or to save information you think you may need in the future. 

Have you ever had a customer support chat where promises were made? Taking a screenshot - or multiple screenshots! - can be necessary in making sure your wishes are fulfilled. Sometimes, people will capture their screen after placing an order with a new company, just to make sure they have all of their information. If you run into the circumstance that a business won’t fulfill your need, you may need a screenshot to prove your previous conversation happened. Website screenshots can also provide the opportunity to share conversations you’ve had with others.

Screenshots can also be used to collect evidence of all sorts of wrongdoings. For example, in your personal life you may think there is a catfish swimming about. You may have to screenshot conversations and attempt to catch them in a lie. 

Business endeavors may also require screenshots! You may see someone online stealing your content. The quickest way for you to gather evidence is through screen capturing. Some artists, like “RealFunWow!” have entire instagram pages of screenshots of people stealing his creative work.

Here are some other reasons for screenshotting:

• You need to remember a list someone sent you and scrolling back in your texts messages sounds boring.
• A funny snapchat has been sent to your phone- quick! Take a screenshot before the time runs out.
• You’ve placed an order on a sketchy website.
• You ordered something for a friend and want to send them the shipping information easily. 
• You need to show a location on a map and send it to a friend. 
• You are collecting evidence that someone is bullying or harassing you online. 
• You have a shopping cart full of clothes on a website and you need a second opinion. 
• You are going to court for something and need images of all the evidence on your phone.

How Do You Screenshot?

It is safe to assume that the majority of people snap a screenshot on their phone. This makes sense due to our relationships with our mobile devices- everyone goes on their phone for a little bit each day. Plus, a lot of the screenshots we need are of things directly on our phones. 

Screenshotting on a desktop can prove just as useful! You may have multiple windows that you need to capture at once or maybe your phone is out of reach. Also, you could need to send over a tech issue with your screen to the IT people at work. 

Both desktop and mobile screenshots are useful for our everyday lives. Depending on your screenshot frequency, knowing how to screenshot on any device is super useful!

Are You A Professional Screenshotter?

If you work in the legal industry, marketing, or research you may find yourself taking a lot of screenshots every single day. This can be time consuming! You are basically a professional screenshotter. 

Screenshots in the legal world are especially important. You may need that key piece of evidence to keep a person out of jail or avoid a hefty fine. Someone’s life or livelihood hinges on the details of the screenshots being taken for their case. 

Legal professionals may find themselves taking hundreds of screenshots a day. They could be gathering as much information as they can on someone else for a court case that they find themselves checking all of their social media profiles ten times a day. 

Sore fingers and million screenshots later, it can get a bit boring. However, these screenshots are necessary because as they say, “screenshot or it didn’t happen!”.

Are There Alternatives to Tradition Screenshot Taking?

Some people turn to screen recording to stay up to date on information. These videos can take up a lot of time and storage space, but they do have real-time recording which is amazing. 

The other alternative is automated screen capturing by us, Stillio! You simply put in the websites you’d like screenshots of and how often you’d like them to be screenshotted and we take care of the rest. This is helpful for anyone who feels like their life is overrun by screenshots. 

Snapshot!

Overall, screenshots are used by basically everyone who knows how to use a phone or computer. They can be fun and exciting or they can be a bit boring (depending on why you are taking them!). 

Screenshots open a world of communication, sharing, collecting, and memory. Before the ability to screenshot, it was easy to lose information. But now, it is easier than ever to take screenshots, store them, and file them somewhere for future use! Maybe, you even want to take a screenshot of this article, so you know more about screenshots. In fact, you probably should. Without a screenshot, it’s like this post never even existed.